Welcome to Going Deep, a regular series in which we’ll take a deep dive into a reader-proposed topic. To submit your question or comment, send an email to [email protected]

Not asking this for Cleveland-area sports only, but do you think fans of small-market teams in any major sports league should resign themselves to hardly ever having a shot at a title, or do the owners have a responsibility when purchasing one of those kinds of teams of spending what they have to in order to win? — @Mook6363

Many fans select their sports allegiances based on proximity or inherit them from family ties. Otherwise, Cleveland might play host to a flock of front-running Cavaliers fans and little more. So, on the most basic level, fans deserve the right to hold their teams to the loftiest standards.

But let’s examine this question from a few angles.

First, let’s remove the NFL from the equation. It’s a different animal, thanks to its revenue sharing...

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